


Easy as all that

by Death2Toby



Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, Getting Together, Light Angst, Love Confessions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-16 06:26:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28577475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Death2Toby/pseuds/Death2Toby
Summary: a tiny ficlet abt mulder finally telling scully how he feelstitle is from easy as all that by miniature tigers
Relationships: Fox Mulder/Dana Scully
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19





	Easy as all that

When Mulder had finally convinced himself to tell her, he wanted to pick the perfect moment. As it happened, the moment took him by surprise. 

They’d been poring over a case file for hours and had decided to call it a night. Mulder had said his goodbye, the bed in his own room already calling out to him, when Scully said his name as though she had something she’d been wanting to tell him too. He turned around easily, an involuntary response to her voice before his mind could even consciously decide on the action. 

She stood looking at him in silence for a fraction of a second and it was just enough that Mulder could tell she was nervous about something. “You’ve been acting weird. What’s going on?” She asked, and though she seemed worried, there was a certainty to her question. It told him she trusted her analysis. She knew Mulder so well, she could certainly tell when he was acting strangely. 

He stepped toward her, back into their shared space, where he belonged, where he was comfortable. Usually. It always felt like they shared oxygen, like breathing was easier when they were near one another. It had since the day they met. 

“Scully...” Saying her name opened the floodgate, words spilling from his mouth before he could give them permission. “I— well, there’s something I have been wanting to say.” He took a moment to clear his throat, to commit himself to what was happening, pushing away whatever hesitations were left so that he could speak deliberately. “I’ve had to face losing you, so many times, and each of those times I’ve had to think about all the things I wish you knew. Things left unsaid. And I'm tired of not saying them, so... I’m in love with you Scully. I have been for forever and I just need you to know how important you are to me. You are so important to me.” At some point he’d put his hands gently on her shoulders, and he gave a little squeeze as he allowed himself to exhale. 

Scully was silent for a few moments, but her eyes met his with soft intention, and then she pulled herself into him, arms tight around his waist, and he squeezed her right back, her warmth melting into him. 

They stayed that way for a few moments and Mulder dared to let his doubts drift away. He could feel it for certain now, he knew that she loved him too. “Can I kiss you?” he asked, and pulled away just enough to see her face. There was longing in her eyes, more than he would have expected. She was a compassionate and empathetic person, but it was rare to see such raw emotion from her, and he treasured it. She rose slightly on her toes, and when their lips met it was like they were made to fit together. 

It could have gone further. They’d both been waiting a long time. Their kiss deepened naturally, Mulder’s hands came up to caress her face, his thumbs softly brushed against her cheeks. She moaned every so slightly into his mouth. It could _definitely_ have gone further. 

But Mulder was in no hurry, and Scully didn’t resist when he pulled away. They both stared at one another in awe for a few seconds before sitting side by side at the end of the bed and leaning against one another, a physical manifestation of what they had been doing emotionally for years now. 

“I love you too,” Scully said. 

Mulder smiled and put his hand on her knee. There was a weight lifted off of him, for the moment anyway. Eventually they would have real life to attend to with its host of demands and questions, but right now it was just them. 

“Why didn’t you tell me? I mean what took you so long?” Scully asked, not with frustration, but curiosity, and perhaps sympathy that he’d been holding this inside, just as she had. 

“I was scared,” Mulder replied simply, though after a beat of silence , he figured she wanted him to elaborate. “The truth is, Scully, that sometimes I wish we’d never met.” 

Mulder turned a little to face her, hitching one leg up on the bed so he could sit sideways. He took her hands, held them in his lap, and chewed his bottom lip while he thought of how to explain. “If we’d never met, you’d be safe. Because of me you’ve lost so much.”

Hurt reflected in her face, a brief recollection of the sacrifices she had made. “It didn’t take me long to realize the risks involved in being your partner, Mulder. I’m here because I want to be, and whatever I have gone through, it’s not your fault.” 

Mulder neither confirmed nor denied her assertion. “It was one thing to know that you were committed to the work, our work. I didn't want to start anything that might drag you further into this, or put you at any more risk. But it’s sort of like you said, I know you’re not gonna throw in the towel any time soon. I’d be stupid to think you would. And finally I just couldn’t help myself. It’s selfish, I admit that, but I needed you to know. Whatever I’ve learned or survived, whatever truth I keep edging closer to, I couldn’t have done any of it without you.” 

“You absolutely could have.” 

“Mm-mm, no way,” Mulder replied, shaking his head. He smiled, trying not to let the heaviness of regret into this moment. “What about you, Scully, why didn’t you say anything?” 

“Well,” she began, glancing down to her hands which Mulder still held, “at first it was the stigma that surrounds being romantically involved with one’s partner.” She met his eyes once again. “But despite myself, you became so much more than a partner to me. I didn’t want to ruin what we had. I feel the safest when I’m with you. I didn’t want to risk my safe place. And I didn’t want you to be on your own either, you know you need a lot of protection from yourself, Mulder.” 

At that they both laughed. 

“We both had our reasons,” Mulder said, in summary. 

“The cards are on the table now,” She agreed with faux-reverence, then grinned up at him, and leaned forward for another kiss. 

They were always going to end up here, it was just a matter of time.


End file.
